Conformed
by EpikalStorms
Summary: When you think about it, being adopted into a race of immortal aliens is one of the things in life that you really aren't going to expect to happen. Then again, when you're tortured by your own father's bosses, then lose your memory of the only friends you've ever really had, things just aren't gonna seem that strange to you. ON HIATUS(see poll)


Thinking back on your life, could you find one seemingly random event from your childhood, then relate it to another seemingly random event from your life now? Even if the two had absolutely nothing in common?

Would you ever believe that those two innocent-appearing and harmless events, when the connection between them is found, would be so dangerous as to tear the very fabric of your world apart? 

Figuratively speaking, of course. But would you? Would you ever believe that one simple relation such as this could be the only thing in the world that decides whether you keep on running or are condemned to insanity?

I didn't. Then I was fatefully pulled through a string of events that taught me otherwise.

My name is Joseph Wheeler, and this is my story.

-end prologue-

This is the event of my childhood...

_Me and my daddy were in the living room, watching TV. Mommy was in the kitchen cooking us more popcorn on the stove. I love popcorn, especially when Mommy makes it. I like to listen to the 'pop-pop-pop!' noise that the kernels make when they heat up._

_We were watching a cop show. I like cops shows, too. They're very cool. I want to be a cop someday, just like my daddy was when he was younger. Now my daddy is a special Major in the military. He has a lot of shiny medals. He lets me look at them sometimes when it's rainy outside and I'm really bored._

_In this cop show, it was a special episode, with a spy in it. A very crazy scientist guy in a doctor coat captured the spy. Now the spy was tied to a table. That was very bad, because Mommy said that you weren't suppose to lay on the table. The crazy scientist guy was holding a scalp-el, and he said that he wanted to cut out the spy's tummy out. I thought that was very gross, but then the spy screamed like a girl, so I laughed 'cause it was funny. Then, the screen suddenly got fuzzy and turned back on to a different cop show._

_My eyes got all big and I turned around to see Daddy holding the remote._

"_Daddyyyyy!" I whined, scrunching up my face like I did when I was annoyed "Why'd you change the channel? I was watching that!"_

_Daddy shifted in his seat a little. "I didn't like the show, Vert. That scientist was being very mean."_

_I tilted my head. "But that's the point, right? The bad guys are suppose to be—"_

_But that's when I realized it, when my daddy pinched the top part of his nose and closed his eyes. He was scared of that part of the cop show!_

_Poor Daddy! I didn't know what was so scary about the cop show, but I didn't want Daddy to be afraid._

_I snuggled up to his side as Mommy walked in with the all-done popcorn. "It's okay if you're scared, Daddy. I'll make all the evil scientist guys go away!"_

_My parents chuckled, and Mommy sat down by Daddy before leaning over to pat my cheek. Daddy leaned back into the bouncy sofa springs and lifted his arms to lay them on the back of the seats. "Okay, kiddo. I guess I'm okay if you're protecting me!"_

It wasn't until years and years later that I was finally faced with an event to relate with that particular moment in my past. The moment that I had realized that my father despised scientists. I'd just never figured out why. Until now.

Well, not yet, actually. It would be a few days before the relative event came up to smack me in the face. But until then...

"...Dad?" I was partially in shock, but could you blame me? My dad, he worked for the Silencerz! How long? Had Dr. Tezla known about this? Is _that_ why he'd chosen me to compete in the World Race? Because my father was a Silencer? Does that mean the Silencerz are government based? What about my mom? Had she been one of them? Is _that_ what had gotten her killed? She _had_ worked for the government, after all...

While all these thoughts were running through my very confused and puzzled mind, I'd managed to grab a hold of the Wheel's fourth ring, the one I'd brought with me. How, I had no idea, but now all the Silencerz—agents? Were they agents too?—had their hands held before them as if I was a real threat.

Well, I must've had a wild look in my eyes, because my dad was slowly approaching, cautiously, like he would a dangerous animal. His hands were also held before him, as if I'd attack.

_Right,_ I mentally chided, _Because I'm the wayward son, the crazed teenager who doesn't know what the hell is happening!_

"Vert," My dad warned. "Be careful with that—What are you doing?"

"What am I doing?" I snapped, almost laughing at the craziness of it all. This was just too cliché! Okay, so maybe I _did_ sound a little unstable just then, but I had my reasons! "I'm holding _my _property! _I _won the Ultimate Race, _I'm _the one who gets the prize. Simple right? Except, nothings ever simple with the government. Because this is what you guys are, isn't it? What the _hell_ Dad? Why'd you bring them into this?" This time, I did laugh. It was like a story that had begun with "It was a dark and stormy night...".

Dad was still holding his hands out to me. "Son, I promise to explain everything later. Please just give me the Ring."

I stopped laughing and looked down at the ground. I could feel the the hopeful stares of the other Silencerz—the _agents—_bore into me from all sides. I listened until I heard the footsteps signaling that my father had started proceeding. I didn't even give him a second look, nor his request a second thought. "No."

The footsteps stopped as my dad froze. "What?"

I glared at him. "The Accelerons gave me the Ring to guard with my life after they gave me their abilities. I'm it's guardian now. I promised them that when I won the Race. And we both know who's better at keeping promises. _No_."

At first glance, you would've thought I'd just issued my father his death sentence. And who knows? Maybe I had. Who was I to decide how unforgiving the secret American government was? I mean, people disappear _all the time_.

The, if you looked a bit closer, he looked more like he'd just found out that his son was Darth Vader or something. You know, totally evil dude hell-bent on destroying all good known to the universes?Yeah, him.

Of course, that was _before_ the stupid Ring started glowing, ultimately deciding the progress of my life for the rest of eternity.

Internally , I groaned. Seriously? Out of all the moments in Time at it's fingertips, the damn thing had to choose _now_, of all times, to start revving up? Spectacular. Fan-freaking-tastic.

On the outside, however, I held the Ring out before me and stared at it in shock.

So when it started spinning, I thought very quickly and did an amazingly _clever_ act: I dropped it.

At first, it appeared as if my father wanted to dive forward to catch it, but it was soon discovered that this was not needed; as the Ring simply did not _fall_. Nope, it just hung there, in midair, spinning faster and faster and _faster_ until, finally, it started _shrinking_.

Soon, it was about small enough to fit as a ring over my pinky finger, maybe even too small for _that_. We all—the agents and I—stared at the thing in baited breath when it finally stopped spinning, and waited to see what happened next.

It rose up in the air until it was at my eye level, and started glowing a brighter shade of gold. Just before my right eyes.

I blinked.

Apparently, the Ring didn't like it when I blinked, because it then dove forward and burned itself—_dug_ itself—_sunk_ itself _right_ into my pupil. I screamed in pain and jerked backward, falling to the floor.

I felt my dad try helping me sit up, and a number of his government buddies surround me, but I was in to much agony to sense much more.

At the time, I didn't know it but, in the duration of that one hour of pain, the Ring, and all of it's knowledge, wisdom, and fancy Acceleracing symbols _become one_ with my eye, and my very _existence. _ Now, instead of an ocean blue, my right eyes would forever be a faintly glowing gold, with glyphs etched into my very being.

_This_ is the moment that began the event that I connected with that of my childhood. _This_ is what changed my world's reality forever and condemned me to an eternity of pain, insanity, and ever strange events.


End file.
